Kookaburra Air · From Darwin Airport
Kookaburra Air flies you from Darwin to Katherine in a light plane, a bus takes you to the gorge for the 2-hour cruise, and you're back in Darwin by mid-afternoon. It swaps 8 hours on the Stuart Highway for a scenic flight each way.
The day trips by coach run 13.5 to 14 hours. This one runs 9. You take off from Darwin at 6:45 am in a fixed-wing plane and fly south over the Adelaide River, Darwin River Dam and Pine Creek. At Katherine a bus takes you to the gorge for the 2-hour cruise through gorges 1 and 2, the same cruise every day tour uses. Then free time at the gorge before the flight home, landing in Darwin about 3:30 pm.
You pay for it: $1,099 per person, several times the coach price, and you need at least 2 adults on the booking. There's a 120 kg weight limit per passenger, and it isn't for anyone afraid of heights. The listing says the plane flies over the gorges on the way. Count that as a view from cruising height, not a helicopter low pass.
One thing to sort before you pay: the listing contradicts itself on food. The includes list has "lunch and beverages", the know-before-you-go section says they are not included and can be bought at the destination. Ask Kookaburra Air through GetYourGuide, and bring money for the Nitmiluk Centre cafe either way. The park pass is not mentioned at all, so buy an NT parks pass online.
Check in at Kookaburra Air on Lois Lane at Darwin Airport for the flight south.
Adelaide River, Darwin River Dam and Pine Creek from the air, then land at Katherine.
A transfer from the Katherine airstrip to the Nitmiluk Centre, about 30 minutes.
Gorges 1 and 2 with a cultural commentary, changing boats at the rock bar.
Walk the cultural trail or sit at the cafe, then the bus and flight back. Land about 3:30 pm.
★★★★★From start to finish, this trip was amazing. From when Lisa met us at the terminal and handing us over to our trusted guide and pilot Ben and Darcy for the the remainder of the day, you would not be disappointed.
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About 9 hours: take-off at 6:45 am, back in Darwin around 3:30 pm. The cruise is 2 hours of it.
The listing says both: lunch and beverages appear in the includes list, and the notes say they aren't included. Check with Kookaburra Air before you book.
No. The tour needs a minimum of 2 adults.
The listing says the plane passes over the gorges on the way. It's a fixed-wing flight at cruising height, so for a close look at all 13, a helicopter flight from the gorge helipad is the way.
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Fly from Darwin over the Top End instead of eight hours on a coach, then cruise two gorges.
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